1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to firearms such as tactical rifles having a receiver to which a handguard is mounted. This invention also concerns firearms, such as tactical rifles having a receiver/handguard mounting system that permits quick and simple assembly and disassembly of a handguard from a receiver, without necessitating the use of tools and without any risk of losing fasteners or other mounting components, especially with the disassembly process is accomplished during field conditions. More specifically, the present invention concerns firearms having a receiver/handguard mounting system having mounting structures on both the receiver and handguard and a clamp type latching mechanism that permits the handguard to be simply, efficiently and positively clamped and secured to the firearm receiver without necessitating the use of mounting tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Virtually all long guns, such as rifles, shotguns and the like have historically been provided with receivers containing a firing assembly, a barrel or barrels that are mounted to the receiver and a handguard that is engaged by a hand of a user to support and steady the barrel and other forward portions of a firearm. In the case of shotguns having a breach that is pivoted to an open position for loading and unloading one or more shotgun shells, a handguard is provided that is secured in place by a snap-actuating or latching handguard mounting system that facilitates handguard removal and replacement without any need for the use of tools. In most cases, the handguards of firearms with removable handguards have been composed of wood, with metal mounting and latching components.
In conjunction with military and law enforcement operations a number of tactical firearms, such as tactical rifles have been developed. For the most part, these types of firearms have been manufactured entirely of metal, with the receiver components composed of a hard and durable metal such as steel and the handguard components composed of a lighter weight metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. Stainless steel and titanium firearm components are also widely utilized for firearm manufacture. Typically, the handguard of a tactical firearm fits about the barrel and barrel mounting assembly of a firearm so that the handguard, being composed of a heat conducting metal, is isolated from the barrel so that the heat being liberated from the barrel is not passed directly to the handguard. In fact, the handguard typically defines a fairly large internal chamber having internal chamber surfaces that are widely spaced from the external surface of the barrel and the barrel mounting hardware. Moreover, the handguards of typical tactical rifles define many air circulation holes that readily permit convection induced circulation of air to move through the handguard, thus permitting air circulation cooling of the barrel. This is very important when the rifle is used for sustained rapid fire. The air circulation holes also minimize the volume and weight of the metal from which the handguard is composed, thus also minimizing the weight of the firearm and contributing to the efficiency of use and transportion by firearm users.
The firearm receivers and handguards of tactical rifles are also typically provided with mounting rails of the Picatinny or Weaver type, to permit sighting devices and other accessories to be supported along the length of a firearm.